Beginning Spanish ¡Empecemos por aquí!

480 •  Chapter 6: El cambio y el futuro Indirect object pronouns Indirect objects tell us to whom (or what) something happens. They can also express for whom something occurs. Indirect object pronouns represent indirect objects. In the sentence “I write the letter to her,” the indirect object pronoun is her . (The letter is a direct object, since it is what gets verbed.) Unlike direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns are not exactly replacements or substitutions. A sentence can have both the indirect object pronoun and the indirect object itself. Once the context is clear enough, the pronoun will suffice. The indirect object pronouns are me , te , le ( se ), nos , and les ( se ). (Also, te cor- responds to vos , and os corresponds to vosotros .) Pablo me dijo que esperaba graduarse el próximo año. Le voy a comprar un regalo a mi papá para su cumpleaños. Espera, todavía estoy explicándo te el plan. When using direct and indirect object pronouns together, the indirect object pronoun precedes the direct object pronoun. Also, if both are third person forms ( le / les + lo / la / los / las ), then the indirect object le or les changes to se . Yo hice las galletas para mi vecina, pero mi hermana se las dio a su novio. Reflexive pronouns Reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs in all forms and conjugations. They are me , te , se , nos , and se . (Also, te corresponds to vos , and os corresponds to vosotros .) Reflexive pronouns match the subject of reflexive verbs, and so they will correspond with the way the verb is conjugated. If there is a subject pronoun, it will also correspond with the reflexive pronoun. Me levanté a las seis esta mañana. ¿A qué hora te levantaste tú? Cuando tu hermano y su familia van de vacaciones, ¿ se quedan en un hotel? You might have noticed a lot of similarity among the various pronouns. Here is a chart to visualize these similarities more clearly: Subject Direct Indirect Reflexive Yo Me Me Me Tú Te Te Te Él, ella, usted Lo, la Le (se) Se Nosotros, nosotras Nos Nos Nos Ellos, ellas, ustedes Los, las Les (se) Se In the chart above, it is clear that the third person deserves particular attention, since that is where there is most likely to be confusion.